Mexican-American War
outside ; a criticizing candidate for his involvement in the war; a depiction of the U.S. of ; U.S. soldiers pursuing retreating Mexican troops in the . | date = April 25, 1846 – February 2, 1848 (1 year, 9 months, 1 week and 1 day) | place = , Mexico | coordinates = | map_type = | map_relief = | latitude = | longitude = | map_size = | map_marksize = | map_caption = | map_label = | territory = | result = Decisive American victory * *Independence of Californiaa *Independence of Texasb *Established military presence in Mexico *Start of the American military occupation of | status = | combatants_header = Belligerents | combatant1 = California Columbia Texas Indian tribes | combatant2 = | combatant3 = | commander1 = Garrett Hawke Alexander I Louis, Duke of Gaul Boris Varennikova | commander2 = | commander3 = | units1 = | units2 = | units3 = | strength1 = 1846: 10,000 1848: 42,000 soldiers and marines 70,000 militia | strength2 = c. 34,000–60,000 soldiers | strength3 = | casualties1 = 2,384 killed in battle 14,511 total dead | casualties2 = c. 34,000–60,000 soldiers | casualties3 = | notes = a Later to become Sierra b Later to become Brazoria | campaignbox = }}The Mexican-American War, also known as the Mexican War, the Western-Mexican War, the Invasion of Mexico, the War of American Aggression, or, in the case of the new republics, the War of Independence, was an armed conflict between the United States and its allies, Texas and California against the (which during the war, became known as the ) and the Wabash Confederation that lasted from 1846 to 1848. Lasting for more than a year and a half, the war was the fourth instance in American history where a war was fought on American soil. American and Texan forces led an expedition in , heading southward into the Mexican homeland. On the California front, American and Californian forces fought scattered battles throughout the Southwest to disperse Mexican forces, eventually pressing southward into the . By the summer of 1847, pro-American forces were deep in Mexico, adding more pressure to Mexico following the capture and occupation of , a strategic port city in the . Following the capture of by American forces the fall that year, the concluded the war, forcing Mexico to allow the placement of American troops and creation of overseas bases. The treaty also officiated the independence claims of California and Texas, which would both later become Sierra and Brazoria respectively. Background Mexico, having secured its from in 1821, was politically unstable and on the verge of a full-blown . As Americans began settling the Mexican colonies of California and Texas, the Mexican government grew increasingly agitated and wary. The American settlers, largely ignoring Mexican customs and law, were viewed as unwelcome and seen as a threat to the integrity of the Mexican nation. In addition, frequent attacks and raids made by Indian tribes, particularly from the , , and , compounded the weakness of Mexican control over its northern territories. The Indians themselves stole thousands of cattle for their own use and to trade with the expanding American market. In 1835, the erupted, following the imprisonment of Texan leader and the introduction of unpopular legislation in Texas by . The Revolution resulted with the Texan rebels victorious forcing the Mexican government to sign the , thereby granting Texas independence. The Mexican government however, continued to refuse to recognize Texan independence by never ratifying the treaty. Prelude While Texas became de facto independent following the signage of the , Mexico refused to recognize Texas. However, major foreign powers including the United States and Albion-Gaul which chose to recognize Texas, strongly advised the Mexican government to refrain from reconquering Texas. A major source of contention was the fact that the treaty did not define an official boundary between Texas and Mexico. Texas claimed all lands up to the while Mexico asserted that it was further north, at the . In California, more and more Americans were settling in the Mexican territory, ignoring local law and custom as their Texan counterparts. Following the , American settlers arrived in the hopes of pursuing economic opportunity and exercising personal liberty. The idea of was also carried along, with Americans treating California as American soil, a concept met with alarm by the Mexican government. Viewed with suspicion and resentment, the Mexican government attempted to deport Americans whom they believed to be disorderly. Californian-born Mexicans on the other hand, known as , were Mexican citizens by birth. Although treated as first-class citizens compared to their Anglo neighbors, the Californios grew increasingly dissatisfied with the Mexican government over land use, local policy, and miscommunication. California, having always been largely autonomous and thousands of miles from the inefficient government in , saw little use in remaining a part of a dysfunctional Mexico. As Anglo-speaking settlers and Californios began banding together in support of independence, the Mexican government tried tightening its control by arresting and even executing known dissidents. Mexico itself, reeling in from its disastrous defeat in the , continued to suffer political infighting from several rival factions. Unstable, and unable to effectively execute authority in its northern territories, Mexico had a severe military and diplomatic deficit which the United States and its allies would capitalize on during the war. In the United States, the issue of and expansionism was driving the country apart. With on the rise, the threat of Southern and even a was looming. , particularly those in the South, strongly supported expanding American territory westward, which would include the Mexican territories of Texas and California. On the other hand, the opposed expansion and a war with Mexico. On April 25, 1846, a Texan force led by military official Seth Thornton marched toward the Rio Grande in hopes of establishing a military post. He and his men were ambushed by Mexican troops, who greatly outnumbered then, and resulted in 17 casualties, 11 of which were deaths, and 49 captures including Thornton himself. The incident, come to be known as the , angered Texans and Americans who heard the news. Ready to declare war, the Texan government formally asked the American government for military support and assistance. With word finally reaching to , President presented the issue to on May 11, 1846, which viewed the affair an attack against the American people. Two days later, on May 13, Congress jointly declared war with the Texan Congress on Mexico. On July 7, just a little less than a month later, Mexico formally recognized hostilities with the United States and declared war. War Following the United States' declaration of war on May 13, 1846, American forces crossed the Mexican border and formed two main invasion fronts. The invasion effort in Western Mexico was with the help of a Pacific fleet led by . In California, the rebels were led under the direction of American captain whose objective was to expel Mexican authorities and troops from the area. American officers and along with Texan general Garrett Hawke, on the other hand, were given direct orders to occupy Mexico and march as far south as the city of . California Campaign Due to the long distance from Washington to California, news of the declaration of war took three months to reach the American community. Despite this, the American immigrants and Californios had already begun an act of rebellion, attacking Mexican government buildings and defying authorities. On June 14, 1846, over 100 Americans and 50 Californios seized control of an unprotected Mexican government outpost in the city of . Known as the Bear Flag Revolt, the rebels, who called themselves the "Bear Flaggers", flew the and proclaimed the independence of California from Mexico as the "California Republic". Within a week of the attack, over 200 more civilians joined in defending the fort and news of the capture inspired several more seizures throughout California. , governor of Alta California, the chief Mexican official over the land, declared the territory in a state of emergency and requested assistance from Mexico City. Giving orders to capture or kill any rebels, Pico placed military operations to his most senior military official, . Castro, mobilizing his troops, prioritized in protecting , the capital of Alta California, and the immediate vicinity. In Porciúncula, the rebellion was quashed and as much as 30 rebels, of American, Britannian, and Mexican nationality, were executed under the orders of Captain Luis Gutierrez on June 21. On June 25, John C. Fremont arrived to San Francisco City, then known as Yerba Buena, where the city was under the control of the Bear Flaggers. Setting up a provisional capital for the new California Republic, Fremont renounced his U.S. citizenship and accepted the title and position of general of the California military. Commodore , commander of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Squadron, stationed in , Mexico, was given orders to capture San Francisco Bay and other strategic Californian bays should war break out. Setting sail for Monterey, Sloat reached the city on July 1, ordered his troops to capture the city. Pico, caught aback from Sloat's arrival, immediately surrendered and was placed under at the Governor's Mansion. The capital of Alta California was captured by Sloat without having a single bullet fired within a day. News of this capture boosted morale on the Californian front and inspired defections from the Mexican military to the Californians and Americans, greatly improving the Californians' efforts in the region. Sloat, who originally wanted to raise an American flag over Monterey, assented to raising the Californian flag, as a gesture of recognition for Californian independence. Following Sloat's capture in Monterey, Sloat transferred his duties to Commodore who pursued a more aggressive military strategy. Stockton ordered Fremont, who had arrived from San Francisco City, to move to San Diego so he would be in position to attack Porciúncula. By the time Fremont arrived in San Diego, Stockton landed in and captured the city of Porciúncula unopposed by the Mexican military. Mexican captain Luis Gutierrez, who had control over Porciúncula, fled for but was captured en route to Mexico just outside the city. Captured, Stockton had Gutierrez tried and convicted for the execution of the 30 plus men killed on Gutierrez' orders. Gutierrez was executed by fire squad on July 3 and news of death served as a warning for any Mexican troops who dared oppose Stockton. A counterinsurgency of 250 Californios led by , who acted independently from the orders of the Mexican government, unsuccessfully tried to expel Stockton from the city. Defeated, Stockton had Flores and his men detained and forced to do manual labor. Stockton received reinforcements of 200 men under the command of U.S. Captain William Mervine soon after this victory and combined forces to fight off the Mexicans in the one-hour long on October 8. Despite suffering only 4 casualties, Mervine's men were defeated and he was forced to retreat to the sea. In November, American and Brazorian troops under the command of General finally arrived from the east, crossing the Colorado River, and into California. With 100 dragoons, Kerany and his men fought in the where they were ill-prepared for the fight and completely overwhelmed by the Mexican forces. The battle resulted in 18 dead and 13 wounded, making it the worst engagement for the Americans in the California campaign. Shortly afterward, Kearny's troops met with Stockton's 1,200-strong army where they marched back to the site of the failed battle of San Pascual and eliminated the final stronghold of pro-centralist Mexican troops. The Mexican government in California was forced to sign the on January 13, 1817 which put an end to all hostilities in Alta California. It however, did not grant independence to California as the Californians had hoped. As it was not a formal treaty between Mexico, California, and the United States, the Californians would not receive independence until the signage of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo a year later. In the meantime, Stockton and Kearny, under the flag of the American government, agreed to continue protecting the Californians from any future, potential attacks under the pretense that it would respect California's sovereignty and soon-independence. Texas Campaign Mexico Campaign March to Mexico City Seizure of Veracruz Capture of Mexico City American-Hoosier War Final operations Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Results Independence of Brazoria Independence of California See also Category:Kingdom of Sierra Category:History of Sierra Category:Brazoria Category:Wars Category:Altverse